Reviews by jmfc8237:

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Strongly flavored with pepper and fruit notes, the descript flavors of spiced pears, confectioner's sugar, and lemon zest are just a few flavors yet to explore.

This Tripel Ale pours with a zesty sprite with carbonation that billows into a rocky white topping that promptly adorns the crown of the chalice. With intricate pockets of foam, the beer leaves a pattern of the session behind.

Aromas of softly kilned pilsner malt, powdered sugar, and a sugar cookie scent kicks off the aromas. But the elegant estery, peppery profile come together in a way that reminds me of spiced pears, apple pie, and brandy.

Flavors follow up with a honey suckle-like thin floral taste, with also a soft candied lemon favor that seems to overtake the bready complexion of flavor. The balance holds true even with the lemony, peppery note deep within the session. Hop bitterness strikes late with an earthy, peppery bite that helps to crispen the beer and offer a dry citrus flavor that's so appreciated in aftertaste.

Medium-full at first because of the expansive carbonation. But after the creamy and spritzy carbonation subsides, the peppery bite and supple sweetness begins to coat the palate and mid portion of the tongue with a dryish feel and developing cotton candy fleeting sweetness that proves satisfying and rich. But the finish of lemony bite, peppery heat, and alcholic warmth all offer an element of elegance with 9% power. Both masculine and finess at the same time... so we all win!

S- Banana notes, some apple, and a bit of spice. A tad bit of grassy notes.

T- Starts with toned down fruits, pears, apple. Not a lot of flavor in the malt sweetness, and it turns into a spice that leaves a cloyingly bitter astringent aftertaste on the tongue. Not very pleasant

M/D- Mouth feel is thick and syrupy but with the aftertaste, the beer is not very pleasant to drink. That said the alcohol is well masked.

Brimming with a white head, a mountain that rises above the rim of the glass. Very active carbonation puts on a show within the rich, golden-colored brew. Big aroma of cherries, mangoes and red delicious apples meets spicy alcohol and nutty yeast. The body acts bigger than it actually is, as it is lifted by the creamy smoothness. Light, raw honey, malt flavor; grass with a slight biscuit tone in the back. Modest hopping leaves some bitterness and herbal flavors to play with. Alcohol waltzes in with a mild warmth, fruitiness of papaya and a faint spice. The phenols rest on the finish, which helps to balance any sweetness that tries to get out of line.

An old friend revisited, it brings back very fond memories of long afternoon sessions in cafés eating pots of mussels and drinking Tripels. On target to style, a real joy to sip.

A - Pours a very pale yellow. Two-and-a-half finger head of loose, fluffy eggshell white foam sets up like meringue and then slowly falls, leaving generous lace rings around the glass. Held to a full-spectrum light, the beer is a light goldenrod in color and moderately opaque, with lots of effervescence rising from the bottom throughout the glass. Half way through the glass and there's still a fine covering of very tight bubbles solidly across the surface.

S - Honey, pears, bubblegum, lemongrass. A touch of white pepper sneaks into the nose. Light and pleasant, but easy to acquire. After warming, malts move forward along with a touch of light caramel.

T - A bit darker than the nose, but consistent with it. Apples, white raisins, and apricots with a dash of lemon. Light malts and yeast. In the middle, hints of banana and clove appear, reminiscent of solid German hefeweizen. Black pepper and a touch of cinnamon along with herbs that suggest thyme, caraway, and oregano mix together in the back end to provide a bitter balance to the fruits. ABV is very well-integrated and hidden, almost dangerously so.

M - Rather fizzy but easy to drink. Nice body - somewhat on the light side, almost delicate, but not at all watery thin. Components are well-integrated. Finish is fairly dry, rather short, and clean. Over the length of the glass, the spices, especially the pepper, start to accumulate and linger, and this becomes unpleasant.

O - I like the nose more than the taste, as I found the spices and herbs in the back end to be somewhat distracting from what I most enjoy about Tripels: their malts and fruits. If the taste would have been truer to its nose, this would be a winner. Towards the end of the glass, the pepper and cinnamon started to echo in the finish, like a ringing in the ears after a very loud concert. If that sounds like something you'd enjoy, by all means, try this, because it's made from quality ingredients and quite tasty. Personally, however, I need to follow this with something that will turn off the spices that have accumulated and aren't going away on their own.

DATE TASTED: November 23, 2013... GLASSWARE: Affligem chalice... OCCASION: a Game of Thrones reading evening... APPEARANCE: pours a slightly copper, malty golden body; lively effervescence; thick,, foamy two-finger white head that keeps its resilience; lacing is formidable... AROMA: bouquet is light, hoppy, floral with light citrus--mostly peach--and apple as well--quite an air to it!... PALATE: full-bodied; immediately warming at the throat; active and anxious in the teeth--clearly not disguising its intentions...TASTE: grape accents early grant a surprising start; smooth, mellow hops make for a surprisingly casual finish; coriander and some nameless funk round out the flavor...OVERALL: a bright, uplifting strength to this beer lends spirit to the religious overtones of the label; situated among the other beers of this mix pack, the "Best of Belgium" proclamation holds some substance--not the best tripel I've tasted, but more than holds its own...

the aroma has rich, hearty, earthy and herbal notes all over the place. Spicey lager-yeast aroma, sour-earthy, corn, wild fruits and pepper. Very complex aroma that really is very nice.

The flavor has sour-earthy yeast that is very complex with multiple layers. Subtle dried fruits and a hint of pepper. The gruut adds futhur herbal depth to an already deep earthy punch. The malt is light and crisp with dry bready notes that falls into perfect balance for this style.

The feel is usually one of the best aspects of Belgian-brewed "bottle fermented" style beers, lush, snappy, zippy bite that is dry but goes down very smooth.

App: Beautiful, clear, light gold. Darker than a pilsener: blond ale color. Head that stays and stays with great lace.

Smell: Definitely smoky, as they say on their website. Apparently from the yeast strain. VERY cool! Besides that there is a retrained grape skin aroma. A touch of rosemary and lemon.

Taste: What can only be described as a lemon-custard sweetness and creaminess. The hops hit hard and fast with dry herbal notes, but they never go overboard with bitterness. (I do, perhaps, wish for a touch more bitterness).

Full mouthfeel with a prominent, but balanced hop character. But the dryness almost finishes too thin. The mouthfeel starts thick and ends thin, which is weird.

Reminiscent of Westmalle's tripel, but a bit more reserved all around. Perhaps the age of the bier is related. I will have to have it more aged.

A very odd scent. Definitely smokier than some smoked biers. Not what I look for in a tripel but still nice and worth seeking out.

A - Clear bright orange-honey with a three finger white head that's not as tight as it could be, but is very pretty despite it's loose bubbles. Big sheets of lace wash down the side of the big globe snifter after a swirl, and head retention is pretty good.

S - Green apple skin, sliced mangos and peaches, honeycomb breakfast cereal, and dry champagne. White grape juice (like that non-alcoholic champagne or "sparkling grape juice" you can buy for kids to toast with on New Years Eve). Green and leafy with a big time green grape character, some more complex herbal and perfumed notes come out with additional sniffing. Awesome complexity. This is very lively and refreshing to my nose.

T - Sweeter and darker than the lively and "spritzy" nose would suggest, this has an almond, honey, molasses, and sweet butter base with overlying hints of exotic flowers (Hawaiian Islands come to mind), bitter herbs and greens, and something in the background that almost reminds me of Capri Sun in the little foil pouch. This one has more than a hint of FUNK to it... might there be a little brettanomyces in the mix? The lingering aftertaste is super-stinky-cheese-funky and keeps me coming back for another sip.

M - Medium bodied ad firm. This is a wiry and taught brew that isn't so much muscular as it is ripped (less Arnold Schwarzeneger and more Bruce Lee). Finishes with an astringent "bitter greens" note that is very much like bitter arugula in a nice salad.

D - This is a very, very unique and interesting brew and I'm glad that I saved something odd and special for my 1000th review, but I can't help feel that this one would have been damn near perfect if they used hops instead of the ancient Gruut / herbal stuff they used in this one. I like the historical and educational "taste back in time" but as far as beer goes, there is a reason that hops have replaced other herbs as a preservative/bittering agent... they just plain taste better. All in all, this one is definitely something worth seeking out for the experience, but I've had more drinkable and more well-rounded tripels.

Appearance: Slightly hazy yellowish gold with a densely creamy bright white head that reduces to a solid quarter inch and then holds throughout the glass. The lace rises in solid sheets from the surface, and although it drops it always leaves the appearance of distant white mountains around a valley.

Smell: The aroma delivers a sugary, bready malt with a soft note of vanilla that leaves it reminiscent of cookie dough, fruit, and light spice (alcohol, clove, black pepper).

Taste: The flavor is fruity (green grapes, apple) and spicy upfront, revealing a sweetish, bready and lightly earthy maltiness across the middle, and finishing with a lingering sweet bready malt, hop bitterness, and light spice. Unfortunately, the alcohol is clearly present throughout and can at times be distracting.

Mouthfeel: The body is light with a very fine and highly effervescent carbonation that caresses the tongue with a light zest.

Drinkability: A really nice beer that's quite interesting, rich, and full of character.